Envelope containing a fragile capsule



June l5, 1954 s. c. MGMILLloN 2,681,168` ENvELoPE CONTAINING A FRAGILECAPSULE Filed July 9, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 15, `1954 s c.MGMILLloN 2,681,1'68

ENVELOPE CONTAINING A FRAGILE CAPSULE Filed July 9, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet2 gji Patented June 15, 1954 ENVELOPE CONTAINING A FRAGILE CAPSULEShelby Clydel McMillian, Detroit, Mich., assigvnor. to R. P. SchererCorporation, Detroit, Micl1.,.a`

corporation of Michigan Application July 9, 1949, Serial No. 103,920v

4 Claims.

This invention relates to containers comprising asingle fragile capsulemade up of a material insoluble in water together' with a flexibleenvelopeenclosing said capsule and providedl with a single dispensingaperture or with a plurality of closely grouped dispensing apertures.

In the case of ordinary gelatin capsules, the material making up theWalls is Water-soluble so that theY capsule contents are released bysimply dissolving the capsules in water. The capsules areeitherswallowed whole, as when a pharmaceutical composition is containedtherein, or else: are placed in an aqueous liquid with whichv thecapsule contents are to be admixed. The capsules are made strong enoughto Withstand digital pressure on handling; so that there is no. chanceofu ther fingers being stained or soiled with material contained Withinthe capsules. There is, of course, no possibility of using the capsulesfor dispensing the capsule contents or a part thereof at a predeterminedlocation, at a predetermined place, and without having the capsulecontents then admixed with an aqueous liquid containing dissolvedgelatin.

Applicant is the coinventor with Blasey T. Palermo ofv a gelatin capsuleadapted to contain liquid or gelatinous or viscous or granular materialand characterized, at least under predetermined humidity conditions, byany desired predetermined breaking strength for instance from 200 to1000 ormore grams, and, preferably,

about` 500 grams (the indicated weight being' that required for breakageWhenapplied normally` to the plane of sealing' of the capsule), as'

disclosed in our copending application Serial No'. 79,908, filed March5, 1949, now Patent No. 2,578,943, dated' December 18, 1951, andentitled Fragile Gelatin Capsule and Method of Making the Same.Reference is made toi said copen'ding @duplicationl for details. For thepurpose ofthe present invention, the following facts concerning thecapsules of said copending application. are of importance. First, themethod of said` copending application involves a treatment of gelatincapsules with a formaldehyde ticular place or spot. The capsule contentstend to squirt or to be otherwise.` forcibly ejected for' some distancewhen the capsules are broken. Finally, fragments of the capsule wallsstill remain associatedwith` atleast part of the capsules contents.

For the reasonsV indicated in thel preceding paragraph the fragilelcapsules of ourv copending application have heretofore been principallyemployed in the' following manner; rlhe fragilecapsules are enclosedWithin a flexible container along'with material with which the capsulecontent is ultimately to be admixed'. At the time the mixing is to beeffected, pressure is applied through the exible container wall to breakthe capsule and to cause the capsule contents then to be admixedY withthe other material within the container. It has been proposed toseparate the fragile capsule from the main space Within the container bya reticulate or multi-apertured sheet having margins attached to theinside of the container, for the purpose of preventing fragments ofbroken capsules from being admixed with the material Within thecontainer along with the capsule contents. But then the material withinthe container tends to now into or to become displaced' into the pocketdened ,between the inside of the container and said sheet' whichoriginally received the fragile capsule. The result is not only that thecapsule fragments become admixed with the part of the material withinthe container, but this part, being confined within said pocket can noteasily or practically be recovered and therefore is often Wasted. In anyevent, it is diiiicult, impractical or impossible to utilize saidfragile capsules so as to dispense the capsule contents completely atany particular locality without having the capsule contents admixed withother material, including fragments of: broken capsules.

It is therefore an important object' of the present invention toprovidel a container comprising a single fragile capsulemade up of waterinsoluble material together with a flexible envelope enclosing suchcapsule and` provided with a single dispensing` aperture or with aplurality of dispensing apertures grouped together over a limited area,saidcontainer being adapted for manual grasping over imperforate areasfor dispensing the whole,

capsule content at a definitespot, the container forming an individualunit altogether apart and separate' from any material with which itscontents eventually may be admixed so that any such material can becompletely recovered after such admixture.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide acontainer comprising a single fragile capsule made up of water insolublemateria] together with a flexible envelope enclosing said capsule andprovided with a single dispensing aperture or with a plurality ofdispensing apertures, said container being adapted for dispensing thewhole capsule contents without admixture of other or foreign material,in particular, fragments of broken capsules.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide methodsfor making containers of the type indicated.

Other and further objects and features of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description and appended claims asillustrated by the accompanying drawings showing, by way of examples,containers according to the present invention and methods for making thesame. More particularly:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a container according to the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is a central horizontal cross sectional view of the containerof Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan View, with parts broken away, of the container ofFigures 1 and 2 in an intermediate stage of manufacture;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a second container according to the presentinvention;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the container of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 6 6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary central vertical cross sectional view througha device for manufacturing the container of Figures 4 through 6, showingalso the various parts of the container assembled together in anintermediate stage of the manufacture of said container;

Figure 8 is a plan View taken along the line 8--6 of Figure 7, thedevice being shown empty;

Figure 9 is a plan View of a third container according to the presentinvention;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line l 0-i0 ofFigure 9;

Figure 11 is a plan view of the container of Figures 9 and 10 in anintermediate stage of manufacture;

Figure 12 is a plan View of a fourth container according to the presentinvention;

Figure 13 is a central horizontal cross sectional view of the containerof Figure 12;

Figure 14 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of the container ofFigures 12 and 13 in an intermediate stage of manufacture;

Figure 15 is a plan view of a fifth container according to the presentinvention;

Figure 16 is a central horizontal cross sectional view of the containerof Figure 15;

Figure 17 is a cross sectional View taken along the line II-l'! ofFigure 15;

Figure 18 is a. plan view of the article of Figures 15 through 17 in aninitial stage of manufacture;

Figure 19 is a cross sectional view taken along the line |9--I9 ofFigure 18;

Figure 20 is a horizontal cross sectional view similar to Figure 16 ofthe container of Figures 15 through 17 in an intermediate stage ofmanufacture;

Figure 21 is a side elevation of a sixth container according to thepresent invention;

Figure 22 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 22-22 of Figure21;

Figure 23 is a central vertical cross sectional lil view through adevice for the manufacture of the container of Figures 21 and 22;

Figure 24 is a plan view of a seventh container according to the presentinvention;

Figure 25 is a central horizontal cross sectional view of the containerof Figure 24;

Figure 26 is a plan view of an eighth container according to the presentinvention;

Figure 27 is a central horizontal cross sectional View cf the containerof Figure 26;

Figure 28 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of the flexibleenvelope of the container of Figures 26 and 27 before the insertion of afragile capsule to form the container of Figures 26 and 27;

Figure 29 is a plan View of a ninth container according to the presentinvention; and

Figure 30 is a central cross sectional horizontal View of the containerof Figure 29.

rl'he fragile capsules shown in the drawings in combination withflexible envelopes may be prepared by the method including, as aninitial step. a gelatin capsule making and filling operation carriedout, for instance, according to the method of the patent to Robert P.Scherer, No. 1,970,- 396, dated August 14, 1934. The filled capsules aresubsequently treated with formaldehyde.

By way of example, filled capsules may conveniently be prepared from acomposition consisting essentially of 27.0% (by weight) of gelatin,47.5% of glycerin and 25.5% of water. 'I'he lled capsules are thereaftertumbled with an emulsion of aqueous formaldehyde in oil; then tumbledwith Sponges to remove excess emulsion; and finally dried. Moreparticularly, 20,000 capsules of 61/2 minim capacity may be tumbled for20 minutes with 200 grams of an emulsion containing 50% of formaldehydeof 37% strength, 30% of light mineral oil USP and 20% of anhydrouslanolln. In general, the emulsion should contain from 20% to 65%, andpreferably about 50% of aqueous formaldehyde of at least 10% strengthand preferably of at least 35% strength. The ratio of gelatin toglycerin in the capsule walls should range between 0.5 to 1.5. The timeof tumbling as Well as the amount of emulsion should be suincient toinsure uniform action of the formaldehyde solution on the capsules.

While specific reference has been made herein to gelatin capsules ofreduced strength prepared by treatment with formaldehyde and subsequentdrying, it should be understood that other fragile gelatin capsules orcapsules made of other materials may also be used, in particular, whenthe material making up the capsule walls is more or less insoluble inwater. In other words, any fragile capsules insoluble in water may beemployed for the purposes of the present invention regardless of thechemical composition of the capsules.

In the drawings7 the frag-ile capsules have been shown as filled withflowable material, for instance, a solution of a dye in an oil.Nevertheless, the capsules may be filled with otherliquids, jellies,viscous preparations or the like, such as medicinal or cosmetic pastes,salves, creams or solutions or other liquids or granular or powderymaterial.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 of the draW- ings, the referencenumeral Hl indicates generally a container according to the presentinvention comprising an inner fragile gelatin capsule I 2, filled withan oil solution I4 of a dye and surrounded by an outer spaced envelopeI6 formed with a constricted apertured neck I8 defining a dispensingaperture 2B. The capsule l2)y may be made of gelatin and treated asdescribed herein.- after to render the capsule breakable under apressure of from 200 to 1000 grams, preferably from. 200 to 500 grams.The outer envelope It may be made of transparent or at least translucentflexible plastic material. When the container le is grasped manually andsubjected to digital pressure, the fragile capsule i2 will be broken,and the contents thereof may be expelled from the outer envelope I6through the dispensing aperture 2Q by squeezing or, if the contents arenot too viscous, by gravity flow. The capsule contents can readily bedispensed at any desired locality. The aperture 20 can be made smallenough to retain most or all the fragments formed when the fragilecapsule is broken.

A number of containers such as that shown in Figures 1 and 2 can bestored together and, if the internal capacity of the outer envelope IGis large enough and/or if the discharge aperture 2li is small enough sothat on accidental breakage of the fragile capsule l2 the contents ofthe capsule will befretained within envelope l5, then the remainingcontainers will not be soiled or stained due to the accidental breakageof one single container.

Figure 3 illustrates one method of manufacturing the container ofFigures l and 2. For this purpose, the fragile capsule l2 may be placedinside an open ended flexible tube 16a having a constrioted neck leadening a dispensing aperture 29a. The other end of the tube ita may thenbe closed oiT by adhesive 56h applied over the terminal margins of thetube lila.

Figures 4 through 6 illustrate a second contaner according to thepresent invention indicated` generally by the reference numeral 24 andcomprising an inner globular fragile gelatin capsule 2t. filled with asolution 28 of a dye in oil. The capsule 2B is enclosed within an outerspaced envelope made up of two halves 3) and 32 having abutting margins3Go and 32d projecting radially to define a circumferential flange. Adispensing aperture 34 is formed in this flange.

The container of Figures 4. through 6 may be prepared by apparatus shownin Figures '7 and 8 as including a table 36 formed with one or more.circular apertures 38. An upper piston ill)k and a lower piston l2 areslidable within the aperture 38. The face of the lower piston 4.2 isformedwith. an outer annular plane surface 42a extending' about thewhole periphery, except for a recessed portion 62h. Within the surfaces42. and 42h, the lower piston is arcuately recessed, as atv 4.20. Theface of the upper piston 40. is formed with an annular plane surface:lila ex.- tending along the whole periphery of the piston andsurrounding an arcuately recessed portion 4Gb. The two surfaces-lila and2o are adapted to register with each other except over the area 42h.Thus, thev lower piston 42 may be disposed Within the aperture 38 at thelevelindicated in Figure 7 and the lower envelope half 32 of plasticmaterial may be placed in the aperture followed by a capsule 26 and theupper envelope half 3D. of plastic material. The upper piston it maythen be forcibly brought down into the cavity 38 to compress the edgesof the two envelope halves 3B and 32 between the surfaces lita and 42a.If these edges or margins have an adhesive applied thereto or are thenin plastic condition, for instance, due to heating or the application ofan appropriate solvent, the edges will then be sealed together, asindicated at 32h in Figure 6, except over the area 42h, to form thecontainer shown in Figuers 4 through 6. After such sealing has beencompleted, the upper piston 4t may be raised to the position shown inFigure 7 and the finished container may be ejected from the aperture 38by raising the lower piston 42.

While a number of commercially available plastic materials may be usedin the processes illustrated in Figures 3 and 8, particularly goodresults have been obtained with vinyl resins, with cellulosederivatives, such as cellulose acetate, celluiose oxybutyrate, ethylcellulose and the like, with acrylic resins, with polyethylene resins,with rubber hydrochloride and with paper or brous material impregnatedwith thcrmosetting resin-forming material. The preferred materialsinclude moded polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride-acetate resins.The composition used to modify said polyvinyl resins include resinousplasticizers, such as nitrile type synthetic rubbers (copolymers ofbutadiene and acrylonitrile), polyester resins (permanently soft andthermoplastic saturated resins made from polyhydric alcohols andunsaturated organic acetates) and chemical plasticizers such as dioctylphthalate, dicapryl phthalate, dibenzyl sebacate and dibutyl sebacate.Other preferred materials are polyethylene resins either unmodiiied ormodiiied, as by incorporation of resinous plasticizers such aspolyisobutylene or microcrystalline waxes, for conferring on the resinssuitable adhesive and heat sealing characteristics.

Figures 9 and 10 show a third container according to the presentinvention indicated generally by the reference numeral 56 and includingan inner capsule 52 containing a solution 5t of a dyestufl in oil. Anouter envelope 5t adheres to the inner capsule except over one endportion 52a of the latter. When this container is subjected to sumcientmanual pressure to break the inner capsule 52, any resulting fragmentswill still adhere tothe outer envelope 56.

The container of Figures 9 and 10 may be prepared, as illustrated inFigure l1, by dipping the capsule 52 in a suitable viscous film-formingliquid. For instance, the capsule 52 may be grasped at. its two ends andthen dipped into the filmforming liquid', the two ends b2c and 52h beingcovered by the nger tips so that only the intermediate portion of thecapsule will be covered by a 'film-forming layer 55o. Thereafter, oneend 52?) of the capsule may be dipped into the lmforming liquidV tocover this one end, leaving the end 52a uncovered. While a number ofnlmforming materials may be employed in such a dippingv method,particularly good results have been obtained by using gels made up withcelluloseV derivatives, particularly ethyl cellulose and celluloseacetobutyrate.

Figuers l2 and 13v show a fourth container according to the presentinvention generally indicated by the reference numeral di? and includingan inner fragile capsule 62 iilled with a solution 6110i a dyestuff'inoil. The capsule G2 is enclosed within an outer tubular envelope 56having one end completely sealed oil as at tito; and another end sealedoff at Sb, but open at 63o. As shown in Figure le, the container ofFigures l2 and 13 maybe prepared by enclosing a capsule 62 with-- in atube dtd open at both ends, and thereafter sealing off the two ends ofthe tube (only one endv being completely sealed), as by heat andpressure, or by using an appropriate solvent or adhesiyetoformthecontainer of Figures-l2 and 13. For this purpose, any plasticmaterial capable of bonding or sealing in the manner indicated may beused. Particularly good results have been obtained With vinyl resins andwith polyethylene resins.

A lifth article according to the present invention is shown in Figures lthrough 17, and is there generally indicated by the reference numeral10. This container includes an inner fragile capsule l2 filled withsolution lil of a dyestuff in oil. The capsule is enclosed Within anouter envelope 'le of generally tubular shape made up of a sheet havingmargins overlapping at 'Vl and having its ends sealed together, asindicated at lli, except over an area Sd serving as a dispensingaperture. Figures 18 through 20 show a method for manufacturing thecontainer of Figures through Il. More particularly, a strip 'lia ofplastic material is formed into troughshape and the capsule 'I 2 placedtherein, as shown in Figures 18 and 19. Next, the free edges of thestrip ld arc overlapped, in the manner shown at Il in Figure 17, bondingbetween the contacting surfaces being effected, as by means of asuitable adhesive or solvent. ln the next step, the tubularly foldedband 15o. is cut transversely along the lines 'is to yield the articleshown in Figure 20, and finally, the ends or" the cut-off tubularlyfolded band 'lea are sealed, as by the use of heat and pressure, asolvent or an adhesive, except over a limited area at one end, formingthe finished containerA shown in Figures l5 through 17. Suitablematerials for forming the outer envelope include rubber hydrochloride,polyethylene resins, acrylic resins, vinyl. elastomers and cellulosederivatives such as cellulose acetate and ethyl cellulose.

A sixth container according to the present invention is shown in Figures2l and and there indicated generally by the reference numeral Eil. Thiscontainer includes an inner globular cap-- sule 82 lled with a solutionSil of a dyestuff in oil. An outer envelope 36 adheres to the capsule 32with the exception of a small area 82a. This article lnay suitably becast in a device such as that shown in Figure 23 and including a lowermold half S13 and an upper mold half Sli together defining a globularmolding cavity. The capsule 82 is placed upon a pedestal 38a projectinginto the mold cavity from the mold part 88.

Liquid material 86a capable of solidiiying for forming the outerenvelope is poured into the mold cavity through a top apertur-e Qa inthe uppermold half QQ. Suitable materials for such casting around thecapsule include cellulose derivative jellies and microcrystalline waxesplasticized with resins such as polyisobutylene.

In Figures 24 and 25 there is shown a seventh container according to thepresent invention generally designated by the reference numeral |80.This article includes an inner capsule |02 filled with a solution |04 ofdyestuif in oil and an envelope |655 adhering to the capsule |532 exceptover a small terminal area IilZa. The capsule |62 with its adheringenvelope llll is enclosed Within an outer spaced envelope |68 having adispensing aperture Illlla at one end. The container of Figures 24 and25 may be made by first preparing the container of Figures 9 and 1() andthereafter enclosing the resulting container Within an outer spacedenvelope in a manner similar to the method of preparation of thecontainer of Figures l2 and 13. In the case of the container of Figures24 and 25, the dispensing aperture Ia can be made relatively largewithout any 8 danger of capsule fragments being discharged therethrough,for the capsule fragments are retained by the adherent envelope |06.

An eighth container according to the present invention is shown inFigures 26 and 27 and there generally indicated by the reference numeralI IU. The container includes an inner fragile capsule II2 lled with asolution IIA of a dyestuff in oil. An outer resilient envelope IISadheres to the capsule ||2. The envelope IIS has a constricted neck IISapertured to define a dispensing conduit |20. The container of Figures26 and 27 may be prepared by rst providing a tubular member Illia op-enat one end and having at the other end a constricted neck defining adispensing aperture I2ila. Further, one side of the tubular memberIliiclI is slotted longitudinally, as at lIb, This slot extends from theopen end all the Way or almost all the Way to the neck IIB. The interiorof the tube I I 5a may be coated with adhesive, as indicated at Ilc, asare also the Walls of the slot llb and the opposed marginal surfaces ofthe open end of the member Illia. The capsule I I2 may then be insertedwithin the member lla, and the envelope IIa is finally sealed off byadhesion between the opposed Walls of the slot IlGb and the opposedmarginal surfaces of the member I llico at the open end thereof.

Figures, 29 and 30 show a ninth container acccrding to the piesentinvention generally indicated by the reference numeral |30 and includingan inner fragile capsule |32 filled with a solution i3d of a dyestuff inoil. rEhe capsule |32 is enclosed within an outer tubular envelope |36having one end completely sealed oi as at |3611 and another end sealedoff at |351) but pierced by three narrow generally parallel dischargeapertures Iiic. The container of Figures 29 and 30 may be preparedsimilarly to the container of Figures l2 and 13, except that the endarea 53th is initially sealed off completely and is thereafter piercedin three locations, as by a needle, to form the discharge apertures Ic.The latter are quite narrow and therefore the fragments of the capsule|32 are retained within the envelope |35 after breakage of the capsule|22. Further, the apertures |360 being grouped closely together at oneend of the container |30 and being generally parallel, the contents ofthe capsule |32 can be dispensed from the container ISG at any desiredlocation.

Numerous materials suitable for the preparation of both the fragilecapsules and the outer envelopes are available to those skilled in theart. The chemical composition of these various materials is immaterial,since the suitability of any given material is determined largely by itsphysical properties, such as breaking strength (in the case of the innercapsule), and pliability or flexibility (in the case of the outerenvelope). Likewise, numerous methods for preparing the Lrticles of thisinvention are available to those skilled in the art besides thosespecifically disclosed hereinabove. For instance, it is possiblecompletely to enclose an inner capsule within an outer flexible envelopethat may or may not adhere to the inner capsule and may or may not bespaced from the inner capsule. After the inner capsule has beencompletely enclosed Within the outer envelope, a suitable dispensingaperture may be formed in the outer envelope as by slitting orperforating the envelope. Or, a small area of the capsule to be enclosedmay be covered with a mask, the capsule thereafter being coated and themask being nally removed to provide a dispensing aperture for theresulting envelope.

Many details of structure, composition and procedure can be variedwithin a wide range Without departing from the principles of this innvention and it is therefore not my purpose to limit this applicationotherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A container for dispensing a fluid material at a predeterminedlocation without admixture with foreign material, said containercomprising a fragile capsule having walls rupturable at any pointthereof and lled with said fluid material and two sheets of Iiexiblematerial disposed one on each side of said capsule and having theiropposed margins bonded together eX- cept over a small area delining asingle permanently open dispensing aperture, portions of said opposedmargins including said small area defining a radial flange for saidcontainer, said container having said material as its sole iuid contentand forming a unitary article capable of being manipulated by itself todispense only Said fluid material through said aperture at saidpredetermined location after breakage of said capsule.

2. A method of preparing a container for dispensing a fluid material ata predetermined location without admixture with foreign material, saidmethod comprising providing a fragile capsule having Walls rupturable atany point 'thereof and lled with said fluid material, disposing saidcapsule between two flexible sheets and bonding the opposed margins ofsaid sheets together except over a small area dening a singlepermanently open dispensing aperture the interspace between said capsuleand said sheets being left empty and portions of said opposed marginsincluding said small area extending radially from said capsule to form aange for said container.

3. A container for dispensing a uid material at a predetermined locationwithout admixture with foreign material, said container comprising acapsule filled with said fluid material and having walls rupturable atany point thereof by application of manual pressure to said container,

said container further comprising a flexible envelope impermeable withrespect to said iluid material enclosing said capsule and provided witha generally radially extending ilange having a zermanently opendispensing aperture extending therethrough and opening at the free edgeof said flange, said container forming a unitary article having saidmaterial as its sole iluid component and capable of being manipulated byitself to dispense said fluid material through said aperture at saidpredetermined location after rupture of said capsule.

4. A method of preparing a container for dispensing a fluid material ata predetermined location Without admixture with foreign material, saidmethod comprising providing a capsule filled with said iiuid materialand having walls rupturable at any point thereof by application ofmanual pressure, providing flexible nlm material impermeable withrespect to said fluid material, completely enveloping said capsule insaid nlm material portions of the margin of said film material beingbrought into opposed relationship to form a radial iiange, and sealingthe margins of said film material around said capsule except for alimited area of said opposed margin portions left unsealed andpermanently unobstructed to provide a dispensing aperture for theresulting container, any space between said capsule and said envelopingnlm material being maintained free from liquids.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,970,396 Scherer Aug. 14, 1934 2,058,251 Nitardy et al Oct.20, 1936 2,119,358 Scharf May 31, 1938 2,125,318 Salsberg Aug. 2, 19382,325,921 Salfisberg Aug. 3, 1943 2,372,406 Treneer Mar. 27, 19452,578,943 Palermo et al Dec. 18, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 28,302 Great Britain Jan. 29, 1914

